


Healing Can Hurt

by LadyBlackwings



Series: 10 years too late? [3]
Category: BnHA, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Cute, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Hospital, Romance, friends - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-11 01:38:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15304575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyBlackwings/pseuds/LadyBlackwings
Summary: Sometimes before you are actually able to heal you have to admit there was more to an injury than what's on the surface.





	Healing Can Hurt

Four people were in the car heading to the hospital. Principal Nezu requested the hero Eraserhead to drive him to the hospital. Toshinori and Midnight sat in the backseat talking to each other. Midnight was trying to keep Toshinori talking since they all got into the car. Principal Nezu did not say why he wanted so many people to accompany him to the hospital all the sudden. He checked his phone often.

 

Toshinori ran down memory lane as he fingered the letter Grizel left behind. Midnight wonders about the letter as he talking. She listens to stories Toshinori wanted to tell; about how he and Grizel used to bond with each other as teammates and work together. She made him laugh before a mission, that her team would hug him and support each other afterwards, the way the two of them would play with local children, and their little surprise hug contest. He found it interesting how her town ran and especially that after she went on a trip everyone seem to improve in the next few months. Toshinori smirks as he looks at Grizel’s handwriting on the letter.

 

            A small scoff comes from the driver seat. “So instead of remembering her as a commanding hero you chose to think of her as mommy dearest?” Eraserhead snidely comments. He notices the Principal checking his phone.

 

Toshinori sat up straight for a moment. Midnight began to reach for him but stops. ‘Did I really forget?’ Toshinori wonders as his fingers ran over the envelope. The remaining trip was quiet as Toshinori was lost in thought. The Principal finally seems relieved half way there.

 

The group manages to go into the critical care area together. The teachers got a little bit of a look. While some people were getting used to seeing the seven foot tall man with a small walking white animal of some sort, the man in black and the R-rated hero Midnight strutting her way down the hall were new additions.

 

“Ah, Principal Nezu I was just dialing you now with an update. I’m glad to see the update system worked,” the doctor began.

 

“I am glad as well. Please inform us of the situation,” Principal Nezu began. The doctor looks around at the new people with him. “It’s alright. We’re in good company here,” the Principal reassures.

 

“Ok. Well Iron Maiden went into cardiac arrest earlier,” the doctor began. Eraserhead’s eye twitches. Midnight’s hands came out from behind her head as her shoulders begin to drop. After a moment she glances over to Toshinori. Despair is already written all over him; his hands and mouth fell open, his shoulder dropped and even his back curled. “Her heart stopped for three minutes before we were able to get it beating again,” the doctor continues.

 

 

‘Her heart stopped,’ were the only words that kept repeating in Toshinori’s mind. Nothing else had a chance at entering. “Her heart,” was a mutter that slips out of Toshinori’s mouth just barely before his feet send him flying down the hallway. Midnight tries to shout but caught her tongue when she notices her first instinct was to call him All Might. She took off after him before the doctor shouts at bottom of them.

 

Midnight chases after Toshinori as he ducks into Iron Maiden’s room. She got to the door before anyone else did. She wants to chastise Toshinori for running or to hear the doctor out before reacting but when she looks into the room Toshinori was already transformed into All Might. Midnight spun around to block the door when she heard the doctor complaining closing in. “Aw come now, the big sweetheart just needs a moment. You know how touchy some boys can be,” Midnight teases with a wink and a bounce of her chest. The R-rated hero won another match as the doctor backs away but continuing to complain that he does not want Toshinori in there for long. The patient is very delicate right now.

 

Midnight slips in the room after chasing off the doctor. All Might already had one of his arms under Grizel’s head and the other cradling her body. His nose was pressing into the crock of her neck as her chin rests on his head. If it was anyone else Midnight would torment them on how his chin is pushing on her breasts but that thought was nowhere in Toshinori’s mind. The deep sharp breathes he was taking resound of someone trying their hardest to hold back their waterworks. “Please, not you too,” slips out of All Might’s mouth. Midnight came up next to All Might. He seems to wrap tighter around Grizel. “Please,” came from All Might again as though he was pleading.

           

‘Is he talking to her?’ Midnight thought for a moment. She releases a deep sigh as she realizes, ‘No, he’s talking to her heart directly.’ She gave him a moment before touching his back gently. “All Might we have to go. Principal Nezu can’t keep the doctors out of here for long,” Midnight tries to say in the most reassuring tone she had.

 

            All Might just nods. His head turns back to Grizel. He motions for another tight embrace before lowering her down as though he was handling glass. After easing her back onto the bed his hand cups her face, his thumb tracing over her cheek, and he places his forehead on her forehead again. He releases his hero form, changing back to his normal form, while holding his position. His free hand moves till it finds her hand. There is a moment of silence as everyone is still in the room. Finally he stands up and takes back one of his hands. “All right Midnight,” Toshinori says. He presses Grizel’s hand to his lips for an instant before tucking it back into bed. “Let’s go,” Toshinori almost mutters. He began walking out so fast that Midnight did not realize that he passed her. She hurries behind him.

 

            Principal Nezu calls for Toshinori instead of waiting outside the door. The Principal and Eraserhead are at the nurse’s station just finishing getting their update on Grizel’s condition. Midnight rubs Toshinori’s shoulder all the way to the nurse’s station. She let go of him when they reach the station. “What did they say?” Midnight asks.

 

            “Looks like something happened with her blood,” Principal Nezu began to say.

 

            “Besides all the injuries; they shot her up with something. Don’t know what it is yet but that villain probably wanted to make sure to tie up loose ends,” Eraserhead head bluntly explains. Most would think he was being callous but he was right to say it all quickly because Toshinori is barely listening. “She’ll be touchy as it works through but till they know what it is, this might happen again. They don’t know what else it messed up inside her. It’s irrational to take up space waiting for news here. I’m heading back now,” Eraserhead finishes before starting out of the hospital.   

 

            Eraserhead walks past the group of hero teachers. Midnight looks back at Toshinori. He was staring down the hallway which leads to Grizel’s room. His debate was written on his face as his lips twitches. Midnight stepped closer, “Hey, you’ve already talked her. There is nothing else we can do now.”

 

            “Besides I have made arrangements to be informed if anything happens. We’ll know right away,” Principal Nezu tries to encourage. “Her students could still use their substitute teacher.”

 

            What felt like several minutes went by as everyone was waiting for an answer from Toshinori, regardless of his decision they were ready to make arrangements. He took a deep breath as his fist closes for a moment. “Alright. Let’s go back,” Toshinori finally says. The pair escorts Toshinori back to the car that Eraserhead already brought to the doorway.

 

            It was two days of torturous silence. Not only was news from the hospital only that Grizel still had a heartbeat but all the blood test were all inconclusive. Also, Toshinori was so quiet that the only thing that causes him to talk at all is the mounds of paperwork. Only a couple times did he slip out to do his hero work. He has always been an expressive person but this was a side of concern that people had not seen before.

 

            The silence stays until the Principal came for his daily visit to the teacher’s workroom. He is about to say hello when Present Mic flings the door open the rest of the way, “Wow man! Somebody turn on the tv!”

 

            “Stop shouting,” Eraserhead says automatically.

 

            “What’s going on?” and “What channel?” along with other mutters filling the room as someone eventually turns on the television. The teachers begin crowding around it as Present Mic found the station.

 

            “There was incident at our local hospital just a little while ago. But it had quite the unexpected saving grace wouldn’t you say?” the first reporter begins.

 

“I’ll say. A low level villain was taken to the hospital for treatment when he woke up and began rampaging again. But guess who stepped in to stop him this time?” the second reporter baits a little more.

 

A grainy still image clearly posted from someone’s phone appears on the screen. “Iron Maiden. That’s right, the hero that fell into a coma after being rescued by All Might less than a week ago woke up in order to save the staff and stop a villain,” the first reporter says.

 

“There was a rumor that she might have died a few days ago but it looks like death isn’t even stopping this hero?” the second reporter teases.  

 

“No kidding. I heard she had an Iron Will but that’s incredible,” the first reporter almost chuckles as they said it.

 

“So true. After the incident doctors and security filled the area so we are still waiting for further news on how everything worked out. But we’ll bring it to you when it happens!” the second reporter finishes before the segment when to commercial.

 

Almost everyone in the room began muttering and talking immediately but most were glancing over at Toshinori. It is written all over him. He is standing straighter, his full height, his smile was growing, and his arms were coming up. “All right!” All Might cheers. His shout was extra loud as his transformation happens so quickly.

 

“Shall we go to the hospital than All Might?” Principal Nezu almost teases.

 

“Yes, Nezu sir!” All Might enthusiastically responds. The crowd is happy that All Might and the Principal walk out of the room. It was a little worry that All Might would just run the entire way there.

 

It did not take long for Toshinori and the Principal to arrive at the hospital, by car. The nurse told them that the doctors took the chance when Iron Maiden woke up to take her back to surgery; they were hoping that she could control the melted metal or at least inform them what was hurting so they could guess where to know where to try x-raying. She is still in surgery when Midnight arrives from the school a short time later. ‘I hope it turns out better for her,’ Toshinori thought to himself as he ran his fingers over his left side.

 

It took another couple of hours for Iron Maiden to come out of surgery. The doctor sees the group sitting in the waiting area as he walks by with Iron Maiden on a gurney. All of them come right over. The Principal and Midnight come toward the doctor while Toshinori went to the gurney. “Grizel,” Toshinori mutters under his breath. He begins to reach for her hand but stops.

 

The doctor looks the most relieved he had in the past week. “Go ahead. I want to check for a few things but for now she is doing a lot better. We’ll know when she wakes up again. This time she is just asleep because of the anesthetic,” the doctor explains.

 

The aids push the gurney down the rest of the hallway with Toshinori walking next to it. Midnight follows shortly behind. The Principal looks at the doctor. “What is it that you want to check?” the Principal wonders aloud.

 

“That poisonous quirk and damage inside her was more than I was expecting. I’m a little worried what happened to her brain, especially since her heart stopped once,” the doctor explains.

 

“I understand,” Principal Nezu said before walking off. He walks into the room Grizel had spent the last week in. This time though was the first time he sees hope in the faces of his staff members and former student. Midnight and Toshinori both have smiles on their faces. Toshinori his hand on Grizel’s while Midnight is patting his shoulder.    

 

It was a blissful hour as everyone waiting for Grizel to wake up. But that sensation is short lived as her fingers begin to twitch. “Grizel,” Toshinori says as he stands up.

 

“I’ll get the doctors,” Principal Nezu says leaving the room.

 

Grizel begins to stir, her shoulders begin moving up and down, her head goes from side to side, and her body begins to wiggle. She presses her eyes shut as she grunts in pain. Toshinori squeezes her hand. She squeezes it back. “Hey, come on now. Open your eyes,” Toshinori encourages.

 

Grizel’s breathing becomes rapid and shallow. “What?” slips out of her mouth. She opens her eyes slowly, “Who?”

 

“It’s me,” Toshinori voice begins but lost its strength quickly. The look in Grizel’s eye is blurred, her eyes glazed, the radiant green is faded and dulled. Even what used to be called the whites is now muddy at best. “It’s Toshi,” he adds not holding back the concern in his voice.   

 

The rest of the next moment felt like a blur to Toshinori. Grizel screams, her arms thrashing, all as her hair is flying throughout the room. Midnight grabs him. She pushing him out the door as she rips open her sleeve. The door closes quick enough to lock out Toshinori and the medical staff. Sounds of screaming and smashing continuing for what felt like ages but in reality it is only moments. Midnight opens the door, releasing only a little of her quirk. “Ok. She’s back asleep now,” Midnight says.

 

The doctor and staff went into the room. The walls are cut, some tiles are smashed, and equipment is knocked over. “What happened?” the doctor asks.

 

“She woke up, looked in pain, and starting going berserk,” Midnight says as she rubs her back.

 

The doctor sighs. “I’ve seen this before. Sometimes when people wake up they only remember the last thing that happened and her last two memories where both so painful,” the doctor thought aloud. “Since this happened we’ll make a different plan to ease her back into her current situation. I’ll contact you later with the details,” the doctor explains to Principal Nezu.

 

“Please do. Thank you for your help in this matter,” Principal Nezu responds. The doctor goes into the room with the rest of the staff. Principal Nezu turns around to Midnight, “And thank you for your good work.”

 

“Sure,” Midnight responds. ‘That hair move so quickly and she was just barely awake. I wonder what she’s like in a normal situation,’ Midnight thought to herself.

 

Principal Nezu finally catches up to Toshinori who had been pushed and shoved down the hallway. He crashed into a spot on the wall and stayed there. He was looking at his hand. “I had her. In my hand again,” Toshinori is muttering to himself.

 

“Are you all right?” Principal Nezu asks as comes up next to Toshinori. Toshinori was not sure how to respond. He just shakes his head to knock himself out of his thoughts. He put his hands in his pockets. “Did you hear what the doctor said?” the principal wonders.

 

Toshinori nods. “Yeah. She was in pain and reminded of painful events,” Toshinori mutters.

 

“Not exactly but that is pretty close to it,” Principal Nezu acknowledges. “Is there someway you would suggest dealing with it, since you are the closest one to her?” the principal asks hopefully.

 

“I don’t think it’s something I can do since I was there when she got hurt,” Toshinori mutters.

 

“I doubt that is true. You saved her then,” the Principal tries to point out.

 

“She still is in outside my,” Toshinori thinks aloud. “No. I think this time I’m doing more harm than good. It might be time for me to head back to work,” Toshinori says.

 

“I disagree but if that is what you feel,” Principal Nezu begins.

 

Toshinori leans off the wall. “Please keep me informed,” Toshinori requests.

 

“Of course,” Principal Nezu agrees as his former student slowly walks away.  

 

Only a couple of days pass and All Might was back at work in his normal city. While it was far enough away from U.A. that it would not be a day trip his mind kept wondering back there. Leaving than did not feel entirely right, like he was running away or pushing her away again. The image of Grizel mumbling incoherently kept eating at his mind and enraging him for reason. The city did not seem to mind All Might jumping between missions so quickly but it is wearing on his conscious. His mind is so crowded that he did not even hear his own phone ring. It was not till he finishes his rounds that day that he even bothers to check it. He starts down some stairs of a building All Might landed when he began looking through the message and changes back to his normal form. He wonders who the missed call was as he flips over to the voicemail. Thankfully they left a message since he did not recognize the number off hand.

           

            “Hey, Tos..I guess I should be calling you All Might at this number,” Grizel says in quietest tone Toshinori ever heard from her. He coughs up blood in shock as he almost falls down the last steep onto the landing. He scoots back up the stair and stays seated. She is breathing so hard, every word sounds labored, and occasionally she eek in pain as the message goes along. She must have wanted to leave it bad enough to call. In the time since they stopped talking she had only texted Toshinori. This was the first time he heard her voice. “The staff says a tall blonde man visited me regularly till a little while ago. I’m sorry it seems like we didn’t get to talk. Guess we’re only meant for brief encounters now… Sorry for wasting your time. I don’t mean to be such a bother. I just wanted to say thank you, for rescuing me again. Goodbye,” was the piece together train of thought Grizel left as a voicemail.

 

“Oh no you,” Toshinori grumbles after he recovers from hearing such a sad tone. His fingers are going as quickly as they could across the phone. “Come on, come on,” he mutters to the ring tone.

 

“Hel,” a tired woman begins saying.

 

“You are not a bother!” Toshinori immediately shouts in his annoyance. He even stood up for some reason. “I don’t want to hear you say that ever again!” he continuing to shout.

 

“Toshinori?” Grizel wonders as she is barely awake.

 

“It is I,” Toshinori says automatically falling into his All Might habits. He takes a breath and stops for a moment. He begins pacing the isolated stairwell. “I mean, yeah. How are you doing? I didn’t expect you to call,” Toshinori says and than immediately curses himself for doing.

 

“Me neither. It is good to hear your voice again,” Grizel starts. Toshinori feels a slight blush at the comment. Grizel rests against her pillow. “Everything still hurt but better. Things are clearing up now and it’s easier to think again,” Grizel clarifies her initial thoughts.

 

“That’s good,” Toshinori chimes. He tries to bury his freehand in his pocket. Luckily today he did his hero work in his casual clothes and not his hero costume. “That’s really good.. Do they have any idea what happened yet?” Toshinori wonders.

 

A sharp breath resounds. “No. Quirk and poison seem the best guess,” Grizel gives a short answer.

 

“Are you going to be all right?” Toshinori wonders.

 

“Mostly. Lots of internal..issues,” Grizel answers quickly before she had to stop to catch her breath. “And my legs. They’re still talking about stuff,” Grizel tries to answer. “My head,” Grizel is just saying things that were coming to mind.

 

“Hey. It is all right. You’ve said enough,” Toshinori tries to encourage. “But there is something I would like you to listen to,” Toshinori suggests a bit more firmly than he should have.

 

“Ok,” Grizel acknowledges.

 

“You were never a bother, I never blamed you for anything that happened,” Toshinori says as his hand moves over his scar. “You were never a waste of time,” Toshinori continues knowing that she meant his limited time as All Might. There was a lot more he wants to say. He wants to talk about her letter more, her injuries, and what might happen between them next but every thought catches in his throat. She is barely awake enough to be making this call saying everything right now would only help him. But there was one thing he is not going to let go of. “So don’t hold back anymore all right? Please call me whenever you want. Feel free to call me every day and tell me how things are going. I want to know what the doctors say, how you are doing, and what’s been going on since we’ve last talked,” Toshinori ends in a much softer, almost perky, tone than he meant to. The silence from the other end causes his body to tease up.

 

“All right. I’ll call again soon than,” Grizel says in such a muffle tone Toshinori guesses her head might be buried in something. That would be right as she is hugging her pillow tightly.

 

“Tomorrow?” Toshinori insists more than requests. He hides his snicker though as he recognizes that tone in her voice.

 

“Tomorrow than. Go beyond,” Grizel agrees.

 

“Plus ultra,” Toshinori says as the pair gave a unique signoff for this phone call. The two chuckle as they hang up for the night. Toshinori looks at his phone for a moment. He did not resist the huge smile with a light blush came across his face as he tucks his phone into his pocket.   

 

Grizel kept her word and tries calling again the next day. It is a much shorter phone call as she is having trouble staying awake but she calls back a second time for a sweeter follow up. After another day of doctor examinations and testing her strength for the day is drained so she barely manages a call. After such efforts they agree that Toshinori should call when he is not working and she would try to talk when she is not exhausted. Grizel was finally able to give him good news though, if things go well for another week she would be allowed to leave and rest at home.

 

Toshinori calls everyday he could. It has been so long since the two of them were able to speak normally together that he did not want to miss this chance. Even though she was tired a lot initially, to the point where she fell asleep on the phone with him, it causes him to grin each time he saw her number on the phone.

 

The week is moving along. Toshinori is being more active as All Might and even beginning to enjoy his hero time a little more. Though, he did not like the following paperwork. He is finally up to calling Grizel instead of waiting for her calls now. So as the times of endless paperwork trap him at his desk he would begin calling her. He is eager to catch up on everything that happened since they actually last talk and not work. It made him smile to fill his evenings this way; spending the evening with her again.

 

One night as the paperwork is massive and the pair had already been on the phone for over an hour Grizel heard an annoyed hum from the other end. “Toshinori,” Grizel interrupts.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Are you dodging your paperwork again?” Grizel asks without hesitation. She heard a loud thud, followed by coughing, and finally a lot of shuffling. Toshinori made a noise before he heard some chuckling which his cheeks to warm slightly. “You never did like that part of the job,” Grizel teases. She knew past people had helped with his paperwork but he still had a sign and do a little bit.

 

Toshinori leans back in his chair. “I still don’t. And it seems to grow all the time,” he says.

 

“That’s because you never finished any before adding more to it,” Grizel teases.

 

“I do some of it,” Toshinori almost pouts.

 

“You need to do all of it,” Grizel adds. She hears a grumble from the other end. Grizel chuckles softly. Her breathing is getting heavier and slower. “Bit by bit Sunshine. You’ll get there,” Grizel says as she leans back against her pillow.

 

Toshinori covers his mouth. It has been so long since he heard her call him Sunshine. “Hey, you sound a little tired. How about we pick this up again later?” Toshinori suggests.

 

“Sure. After you finish your paperwork,” Grizel replies.

 

“I said later not never,” Toshinori rebuts.

 

Grizel laughs, “Goodbye Toshi.”

 

“Goodbye Grizel,” Toshinori says before hanging up the phone. He rubs the back of his neck, “Geez All Might stop talking like a high school kid.” Toshinori had no trouble teasing himself for a few minutes. He opens his desk drawer and takes out a binder. “It’s not like you’ve never talked to her before,” Toshinori says mostly to himself as he begins flipping pages. As he goes through the pages he realizes that they have not talked in person, away from work, in years. “Has it really been that long since we got to sit down together and talk?” Toshinori wonders with a grin on his face as his fingers trace over the corners of newspaper clipping in a book of them. It was an article ‘All Might teams up with Iron Maiden to take down drug ring.’

 

**Author's Note:**

> This is on my DA but I'm trying to do some edits and fix a few problems before posting it here. That is why this one is slightly different. I really appreciate the feedback/response I've gotten for this already! It makes me very happy to know my writing was enjoyed (or caused a feeling). Thank you for looking!


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